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Friday, January 29, 2010

They are determined to ram this immoral and unjust legislation down our throats!

In response to President Barack Obama's State of the Union address Wednesday night, top Democrats today outlined a new two-step approach to approving a government-run health care bill. The hope to approve smaller bills that are more popular and then move to the massive pro-abortion bill.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is urging members of Congress to “come together and recommit themselves to enact genuine health care reform that will protect the life, dignity, consciences and health of all.”

“The health care debate, with all its political and ideological conflict, seems to have lost its central moral focus and policy priority, which is to ensure that affordable, quality, life-giving care is available to all,” the bishops write. “Now is not the time to abandon this task, but rather to set aside partisan divisions and special interest pressures to find ways to enact genuine reform.”

“The U.S. Catholic bishops continue to urge the House and Senate to adopt legislation that ensures access to quality, affordable, life giving health care for all; retains longstanding requirements that federal funds not be used for elective abortions or plans that include them, and effectively protects conscience rights; and, protects the access to health care that immigrants currently have and removes current barriers to access.”
The bishops reiterated their serious concerns about the health care legislation that has been passed by the House and Senate.

Disappointingly, the Senate-passed bill in particular does not meet our moral criteria on life and conscience. Specifically, it violates the longstanding federal policy against the use of federal funds for elective abortions and health plans that include such abortions -- a policy upheld in all health programs covered by the Hyde Amendment as well as in the Children’s Health Insurance Program, the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, and now in the House-passed “Affordable Health Care for America Act.” We believe legislation that fails to comply with this policy and precedent is not true health care reform and should be opposed until this fundamental problem is remedied.
The bill passed by the House (and to a lesser extent the Senate-passed bill) recognizes the need to protect conscience rights on abortion. However, provisions in both bills pose a threat to conscience that is not limited to abortion. That threat needs to be removed before any final bill is passed.

The January 26 letter was written by Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, chairman of the USCCB Committee on Pro-Life Activities; Bishop William Murphy of Rockville Centre, chairman of the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development; and Bishop John Wester of Salt Lake City, chairman of the Committee on Migration.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Following Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) statement that she didn’t think it's possible to pass the Senate version of the health care bill in the House, Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) said that the pro-abortion language in the bill played a “critical role” in its demise.

During an interview with Cybercast News at last Friday’s March for Life in Washington D.C., Rep. Pence credited “the pro-life Republicans and Democrats who took a stand in the House of Representatives on the traditional language that was encompassed first in the Hyde Amendment and then in the Stupak-Pitts Amendment,” noting that their work contributed immensely to the current situation of health care reform.

Unlike the House version of the health care bill, which included Hyde amendment restrictions on the federal funding of abortion in the Stupak-Pitts amendment, the Senate version mandated all federally funded health insurance policies to have one option that included abortion.

The Senate bill also included what Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius called an “accounting procedure” that earmarked a portion of every premium in the health care exchange for a fund that would pay for abortions.

Two days after voters in the liberal state of Massachusetts sent a message to Congress that even they don't want the pro-abortion health care bill, the House and Senate bills appear unlikely to go anywhere. Though no official decision has been made, Democrats and Obama officials are looking at starting over.

The Senate had approved a bill that would force taxpayers to finance abortions and that measure was expected to be the basis of a merged bill.

That was before Republican Senate candidate Scott Brown defeated pro-abortion stalwart Martha Coakley in a special election in Massachusetts.

Now, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi concedes the bill is apparently dead.

"I don't see the votes for it at this time," Pelosi told reporters during her weekly press conference. "The members have been very clear." Duh! You finally realize this? Did you not hear all the town halls this past summer and the polls since then? We DON'T want socialized healthcare!

In January 2008, one of our Agnesian sisters asked me to write a prayer to be read aloud outside a Planned Parenthood office here in Hays, Kansas. As I did last year, I offer this prayer to my countrymen for the conversion of its all-too-worldly people. Feel free to pass it on. And may God have mercy on our souls. --JFB

Almighty God,

We pause here to remember the uncounted victims of a misguided society: women, confused and frightened, who were led to believe problems would be solved by ending their pregnancies; the unborn children who died as a result; couples whose wonderful potential to foster new life has been stifled. Enlighten those who pervert the healing arts, that they might see the destruction they have wrought. Edify those who reduce unborn children to mere abstractions. Lead our citizens, courts and governments to understand that everyone has a right to live, regardless of age, ability, health or social circumstance.

Bless our youngsters, that they might appreciate their bodies, value chastity and understand the true purpose of sexuality.

Allay the fears of new parents. Encourage them, that they might treasure the lives they've brought into the world, trust in your providence and embrace the call to parenthood. May they understand that children are unrepeatable gifts, no matter the circumstances of their conception.

Grant that society will once again respect marriage as the insoluble union which brings forth the family and recognize the family as the very foundation upon which society itself rests. Dispel the selfishness that regards fertility as a malady and pregnancy as a disease, that couples might cherish procreation as a blessing and bring ever more life into the world.

Console those parents who once chose abortion and now regret their decision; may their grief turn to action and their suffering to resolve in testament to the Truth.

Strengthen with love all who seek You, that we might embrace our calling to be light amid the darkness and, so, transform America, that she might truly become a nation under You, oh Lord, with liberty and justice for all.

Saint Gianna Molla, who gave up her life that her unborn daughter might live, pray for us!

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Republican Senate candidate Scott Brown is leading in polls and if they hold up on Tuesday in the Massachusetts special election, he would become the 41st vote against the pro-abortion health care bill in the Senate. That is confounding efforts by President Barack Obama and Democrats to get the bill passed.

The outcome of the election has a significant bearing on the health care-abortion debate because the Senate approved its bill on a narrow 60-40 margin. Should Brown win, he has already promised to support the filibuster against the measure.

Democrats and Obama have been finalizing a compromise version of the legislation that would still require 60 votes in the Senate and a Brown win would drop the margin to 59-41 -- enough to defeat the bill.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Following the U.S. Bishops' announcement of their grassroots campaign to encourage the faithful to speak out against federal funding of abortion, the Knights of Columbus is calling upon its members to become active in voicing Catholic concerns as well.

“Knights and their families are strongly urged to contact their Senators and Congressmen during the recess, and ask that they support the House language authored by Representative (and brother Knight) Bart Stupak (D-MI), which retains the long-standing policy against federal funding of abortion,” reads an official statement from the Knights of Columbus.

Monday, January 11, 2010

Sister Mary Ann Walsh, the director of media relations for the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, wrote this guest editorial in the Washington Post:

By Sister Mary Ann WalshU.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

Catholic bishops have urged the government to reform our ailing health care system for decades. To do this, the House and Senate have now passed bills with this aim, bills that must be reconciled into one final bill. But the present state of affairs is enough to make you sick. The gamesmanship in Congress relates more to politics than health and has created serious problems. Despite the bishops' desire for health care reform, the proposed bills could turn the bishops from allies into opponents. So far, health care reform it is not.

Sister Mary Walsh, a representative of the nation's bishops, shared the following on the USCCB Media Blog on January 8:

A friend just got a job in a Catholic hospital. She loves the work, and I hear with delight about the employee training program and the mission of top-flight care in a Catholic setting.

She is a receptionist, and hospital leaders know values must be conveyed by all the staff, from the first person you meet to the professional staff who hold lives in their hands.

Values that emphasize the sacredness of every person, rich or poor, coming into life or leaving it, are paramount in Catholic hospitals and right now the U.S. bishops are working hard to make sure these values will still exist under health care reform.

Catholic health care encompasses more than 600 facilities; the ministry costs about $6.7 billion annually. Yet, although Catholic hospitals are a major force, their unique nature could be threatened if the health care reform bills dismiss concerns of the bishops.

The U.S. bishops do not want an expansion of abortion and urge that the policy of the Hyde Amendment be preserved. The Hyde Amendment, first passed in 1976, precludes federal money from being used to pay for elective abortions or plans which provide coverage for them. This already is policy for several major federal health programs. The underlying principle: health care reform should not force anybody to pay for another’s abortion.

The bishops want conscience protection for institutions and individuals. Among other things, they would like to see the language of the Weldon Amendment incorporated into health care reform. Weldon, passed in 2004, prevents government bodies from discriminating against hospitals and other health care providers that do not perform, refer for or pay for abortions. Health care facilities and personnel have the right to provide care according to a value system that respects each human life. Language from the Weldon Amendment is now in the House health care reform bill and needs to be retained in final legislation.

So far this year, healthcare reform dominates the news as it did in 2009. And while pro-lilfers have had their share of victories, one leader in that movement encourages them to remain attentive to the battle against abortion.

Charmaine Yoest of Americans United for Life tells OneNewsNow the pro-life community definitely has a challenge ahead and members need to stay alert and engaged.

She adds, however, that pro-life advocates "have to avoid feeling discouraged because we've had such remarkable victories. Just the very fact that we've managed to push the vote on healthcare reform into the New Year was a remarkable achievement," she says.

If the Senate version of healthcare reform is passed, Yoest notes it would be the greatest advancement for abortion in society since Roe vs. Wade.

"The challenge for us all is that in terms of what it is right now, there still isn't a final bill -- and that's what people have to stay focused on," she comments. "We have a House version and we have a Senate version, and they have to be reconciled. So the fight right now is over what that final bill is going to look like."

Pro-abortion factions have said they will bypass the conference committee in which House and Senate representatives hammer out a compromise and develop their own version to submit to both houses.

After 40 years of silence after Vatican II, it's nice to see some of our bishops starting to wake up and defend the faith.

With House and Senate leaders meeting behind closed doors to forge a health care overhaul bill, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has reactivated its grassroots campaign to encourage Catholics nationwide to tell lawmakers they oppose federal funding of abortion.

Bulletin inserts, a prayer campaign and pulpit announcements are all part of the effort to help ensure that the final version of the health care reform bill sent to President Obama will include Hyde amendment protections explicitly preventing the use of federal money in promoting, performing, or paying for abortions.

The bulletin insert, distributed to over 19,000 parishes, notes that the House health care bill, passed on November 7, 2009, “reaffirms the essential, longstanding and widely supported policy against using federal funds for elective abortions and includes positive measures on affordability and immigrants.”

However, the insert stresses, the Senate version of the bill “requires federal funds to help subsidize and promote health plans that cover elective abortions. All purchasers of such plans will be required to pay for other people’s abortions through a separate payment solely to pay for abortion.”

Friday, January 8, 2010

Proposed health care reform could require some married couples to pay $2,000 or more compared to unmarried couples living together, prompting some leaders to criticize the “marriage penalty.” They voiced concerns the provision would discourage marriage.

The penalty arises because the planned subsidies for purchasing health insurance are tied to federal poverty guidelines. According to the Wall Street Journal, this would limit subsidies for married couples with a combined income compared to subsidies for unmarried couples.

The rules would not affect those who receive health insurance from an employer. They would only affect those who buy subsidized insurance through the new insurance exchanges set up by the legislation.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

An ancient stone image of King Herod and a modern digital image of President Obama; if only the resemblance ended there.

Alas...

During his violent rise to power, Herod enjoyed the backing of the Roman Empire, returning favor for favor; as an aspiring state legislator, Obama enjoyed the backing of the abortion industry, voting repeatedly to legalize infanticide. The Roman army brought Herod to Jerusalem, where they installed him as client king; leftwing interests brought Obama to Washington, first as senator, then president. Fearing loss of his throne, King Herod ordered his soldiers to slaughter Bethlehem's children; fearing loss of his base, President Obama has ordered his legislators to mandate and fund an expanded slaughter of America's children.

And it grows still darker...

Herod put family members, including his ambitious sons, to death; Barack Obama, referring to his daughters, said that "if they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby." Obama was speaking openly and emphatically of putting his grandchildren to death.

Like Herod, Obama considers family disposable. But even Herod allowed his sons the semblance of a trial. Obama condemns his grandchildren before they're conceived, on grounds that they'll be unwanted. With law school graduates like this, is it any wonder we're handed decisions like Roe v. Wade?

Perhaps most sobering of all is that, unlike the people of ancient Israel, we Americans did not have our Herod foisted upon us; we, as an electorate, chose him and his anti-life Congress. We knew exactly what we were getting. With government-mandated, taxpayer-funded abortion, euthanasia, contraception and other anti-life legislation in the works, we have no one but ourselves to blame for what happens next.

Last week, the eastern and western Churches celebrated the Feast of the Holy Innocents, commemorating of the martyrdom of Bethlehem's children. The Holy Innocents are patron saints of the unborn. We ask their intercession to change the hearts and minds of those lost in the culture of death.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

What happened to the transparency Barry promised? Barry, Reid and CINO Pelosi are trying to force this socialized healthcare on America, despite the fact that most Americans do NOT want it.CALL YOUR SENATORS AND REPRESENTATIVES TODAY!

Congressional Democrats and President Barack Obama have made it official: they will bypass a public, formal conference committee and negotiate behind closed doors on a final version of the pro-abortion health care bill.

The decision will have the the pro-abortion Senate version of the health care bill as the basis for a merged legislation that may very well include abortion funding.

Because the Senate approved the bill on a tenuous one-vote margin, there is less room for error there and little desire to subject the pro-abortion bill to additional 60-vote threshold votes.

Instead, Democrats have now formally adopted the "ping-pong" strategy of sending the Senate bill to the House to be tweaked and approved and back again.

Obama, pro-abortion Vice President Joe Biden and top Democrats like Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid reached the agreement on strategy at a White House meeting Tuesday night.

They hope to be able to get the pro-abortion health care bill approved by the end of the month or early February and have it done so Obama can announce its passage during a postponed State of the Union address next month.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Busy signals, full voicemail boxes and bounced emails -- those are some of the responses pro-life advocates are getting when contacting Congress to urge a health care bill free from abortion funding. After weeks of attempting to get through, pro-life groups are urging people to rely on personal contacts.

Frustrated by their inability to connect via phone and email with members of the House and Senate, some pro-life advocates have given up hope in getting their message heard.

Congressional Democrats are facing a backlash after news broke yesterday that they intend to move forward with plans to ditch a formal conference committee. Today, CSPAN, the cable network that covers Congress, urged Democrats to open the process to public scrutiny.

The conference committee process is important because it will determine the wording of the final bill the House and Senate will consider and whether or not it will force taxpayers to fund hundreds of thousands of abortions.

As LifeNews.com reported, House and Senate Democrats are expected to use a "ping-pong" strategy that has them informally working on a final bill that can get enough votes in each chamber instead of publicly hammering out the final bill.

In a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Leader Harry Reid, CSPAN represents the views of most Americans who don't want to see the process become a backroom deal behind closed doors.

C-SPAN CEO Brian Lamb asked them to "open all important negotiations, including any conference committee meetings, to electronic media coverage."

"Now that the process moves to the critical stage of reconciliation between the Chambers, we respectfully request that you allow the public full access, through television, to legislation that will affect the lives of every single American," Lamb added.

These CINO's like Sebelius just don't get it...they have quite literally "made a deal with the devil". They are jeopardizing their own souls for political gain.

In a little-publicized interview given with the Feminist blog, “BlogHer.com,” Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius praised the language in the Senate version of the health care bill because it upholds publicly-funded abortion coverage.

In the interview with BlogHer’s Political Director Morra Aarons-Mele, Sebelius stated that the Senate bill takes “a big step forward from where the House left it with the Stupak amendment.” Sebelius went on to note that she thinks it does “a good job making sure there are choices for women, making sure there are going to be some plan options, and making sure that, while public funds aren’t used, we are not isolating, discriminating against, or invading the privacy rights of women.” Any mention of the baby's rights? Didn't think so...

According to Sebelius, Harry Reid’s version of the health care bill would establish “an accounting procedure,” but “everybody in the exchange would do the same thing, whether you’re male or female, whether you’re 75 or 25.” That procedure “would all set aside a portion of your premium that would go into a fund, and it would not be earmarked for anything, it would be a separate account that everyone in the exchange would pay.” So we all have to pay for abortion?

2272 Formal cooperation in an abortion constitutes a grave offense. The Church attaches the canonical penalty of excommunication to this crime against human life. "A person who procures a completed abortion incurs excommunication latae sententiae," "by the very commission of the offense," and subject to the conditions provided by Canon Law. The Church does not thereby intend to restrict the scope of mercy. Rather, she makes clear the gravity of the crime committed, the irreparable harm done to the innocent who is put to death, as well as to the parents and the whole of society.

Monday, January 4, 2010

Congressional Democrats are seriously examining the possibility of skipping the formal conference committee process in an attempt to railroad the pro-abortion health care bill through the House and Senate. Bypassing the normal process may allow them to skip procedural votes that could hold up or kill the bill.

With both chambers approving different bills -- a House version doesn't fund abortions while a Senate version does -- Democrats have to create a bill that both chambers can approve and send to President Barack Obama.

Typically a formal conference committee with members from both chambers and both parties formally meet to resolve the differences.

Omaha, NE — A small group of pro-life supporters braved sub-freezing temperatures and knee-deep snow on New Year’s Day to protest outside the Omaha residence of Sen. Ben Nelson. The group, which was joined by Operation Rescue’s Truth Truck, voiced disapproval of Nelson’s “Cornhusker Kickback,” in which Nelson traded his vote in support of tax-funded abortion for special favors for Nebraska.
The group of protesters displayed signs that read, “Keep your hands off my Health Care” and “Ben Nelson, Traitor to the Unborn.”
At one point the Truth Truck, a large panel truck that displays billboard-sized images of aborted babies, became stuck in a snow drift near a busy intersection. However, during the 15 minutes it took to free the vehicle, it was viewed by hundreds of passersby.
The group of seven activists, led by Rescue the Heartland’s Larry Donlan, reported that several neighbors came out to give them the “thumbs up.”
Nelson’s vote for taxpayer funded abortion is extremely unpopular in his home state. Pro-life groups like Donlan’s, including Nebraska Right to Life and Nebraskans United for Life, that supported Nelson in the past have considered his deal a betrayal.

Friday, January 1, 2010

Dec. 31 (Bloomberg) -- The Mayo Clinic, praised by President Barack Obama as a national model for efficient health care, will stop accepting Medicare patients as of tomorrow at one of its primary-care clinics in Arizona, saying the U.S. government pays too little.

More than 3,000 patients eligible for Medicare, the government’s largest health-insurance program, will be forced to pay cash if they want to continue seeing their doctors at a Mayo family clinic in Glendale, northwest of Phoenix, said Michael Yardley, a Mayo spokesman. The decision, which Yardley called a two-year pilot project, won’t affect other Mayo facilities in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota.

Doctors are now opting out of Medicare because the government simply pays too little and the direction that this administration is headed in certainly doesn't give much hope for improving the situation.